Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Receives $205.40 Consensus Price Target from Brokerages

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) have been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the twelve brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $205.40.

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $211.00 price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $172.00 to $184.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Argus upped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a research report on Monday, September 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Wednesday, October 8th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.50, for a total transaction of $171,937.50. Following the sale, the director owned 22,226 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,167,375. The trade was a 3.96% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders sold a total of 1,032 shares of company stock worth $193,040 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Becton, Dickinson and Company

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.4% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 32,308,749 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $5,565,182,000 after buying an additional 4,305,947 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the second quarter valued at approximately $653,377,000. First Eagle Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 59.2% during the second quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 8,786,190 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,513,421,000 after acquiring an additional 3,268,478 shares in the last quarter. GQG Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter worth $689,833,000. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 24.4% during the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 8,514,446 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,466,613,000 after buying an additional 1,670,590 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $177.44 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.86 billion, a PE ratio of 31.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.25. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $187.07 and its 200-day moving average price is $182.55. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $162.29 and a 12 month high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 14th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 EPS for the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.51% and a return on equity of 16.23%. The firm had revenue of $5.32 billion for the quarter. Sell-side analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 8th will be issued a dividend of $1.05 per share. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 8th. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 74.82%.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

Becton, Dickinson and Company develops, manufactures, and sells medical supplies, devices, laboratory equipment, and diagnostic products for healthcare institutions, physicians, life science researchers, clinical laboratories, pharmaceutical industry, and the general public worldwide. The company operates in three segments: BD Medical, BD Life Sciences, and BD Interventional.